RFI : Soul-Funk

Well you *need* that Best of Parliament, then you get Funkadelic's 'Maggot Brain' so you can play air-guitar for 10 minutes along the wank-chops masterpiece that it is the title-track. Sly's "There's A Riot Going On" and "Stand" are pretty much essential. "All Directions" by The Temptations is pretty fonky. Then you finish it off with Miles Davis "On the Corner" and then change your name from Dr.C to Dr.Funkenstein ;)

Best starting point for P-Funk virgins - depends where you're coming from. 'Mothership Connection' - you won't believe how many bits you'll recognize, it's been sampled to infinity. 'One Nation Under a groove' is 'pop' by THEIR standards, while 'Standing on the Verge of Getting it On' is RAWK!
James Brown's 'The Payback' - minimalist hypnotic grooves that are also aggressive about it, a rare thing.

Most everything by The Meters. Reprise just reissued their back catalogue on CD. Any Keb Darge compilations.

Why just vintage? Lee Fields, Sugarman 3, Poets of Rhythmn - all good stuff.

If you haven't already, might want to give some of these a try Dr. C:

The Meters - had funkiest drummer in the world, mostly instrumental, New Orleans equiv of Booker T +MGs (Meters basically house band for all the great Allen Toussaint prods - see also Lee Dorsey. There's a good New Orleans comp just out on Soul Jazz). Charly used to do a great cheap Meters comp - party music at its finest.

Parliament - 'Mothership Connection'. Far and away their tightest, least indulgent funk alb, heavily plundered by Dr. Dre. One of the all-time great alb covers too! If you fancy something a bit more freaky psych funky, give 'Maggot Brain' by Funkadelic a go. Guitarist Eddie Hazel on top form. And anything by the Isley Brothers from the early seventies is going to be just fine - Ernie Isley another post-Hendrix funkman.

The Shuggie Otis reissue on Luaka Bop is good - similar to Sly w/early drum machine sound, but slightly more pop psych. And it goes without saying ('cept I'm saying it) that 'There's A Riot Goin' On' by Sly is absolutely ESSENTIAL.

Not sure if it's exactly funk/soul/jazz/rap whatever, but any choice Gil-Scott Heron comp should see you ok ('The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' on BMG esp. good). If you ever see 'Hustlers Convention' by Lighnin' Rod snap it up as well - proto-gangsta rap by members of the Last Poets. 'Hot Buttered Soul' by Isaac Hayes features v.long, v. funky versions of 'Walk On By' and 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix', extremely hot backing and extended spoken word passages. Marvin Gaye you prob. know all abt, but the 'Trouble Man' S/T and 'Here, My Dear' (Marv's bitter, sily and beautiful 'alimony alb') both the epitome of soul funk.

If you fancy something a bit jazzier, maybe give mid-to-late sixties Grant Green or Jimmy McGriff a go. Herbie Hancock's 'Headhunters' alb from '73 v. v. funky; later albs much more patchy.

James Brown, of course. I'm fond of 'Hot Pants' as an alb, but 'In the Jungle Groove' (if you can still get it) prob. the best collection of his early seventies funk tracks. In the early 70s Miles Davis tried to dream up a weird funk/jazz mindmeld of James Brown and Stockhausen; his 'On The Corner' lp most 'accessible' variation of this.

Lasty, Rhino put out a series of v. fine funk comps called 'In Yo' Face' which have good singles by artists you prob. wouldn't want a whole lp of (Bill Withers, AWB, Kool and the Gang etc. etc.) and non-obvious choices by James Brown, Sly etc.

Hope this is of some help.

Oh, and 'The Electric Spanking of War Babies' by Funkadelic, just ' cos I love the title.

Dr John's best record, "Destively Bonnaroo," was recently reissued (I forget what label). It's got most of the Meters playing on it, and some really great Allen Toussaint stuff. It's not at all cheesy like Dr John can be, and it's a great piece of New Orleans funk.

The first four Meters records are essential, as well as much of Cyrill Neville's solo stuff. Art Neville isn't bad either. There are lots of interesting brass bands around--ReBirth being the most famous.

As for R&B, New Orleans has produced lots and lots of good stuff-- Fats Domino (duh), the recently departed Ernie K-Doe, Professor Longhair (probably my fave), et cetera.

New Orleans = only funk worth messing with (besides Booker T). I've always seen P-Funk as a cheesy crossover gimmick, but they put on a hell of a live show (still).

Bunch of my cheezy crossover favourites - "It's Just Begun" by the Jimmy Castor Bunch ; most any Ohio Players albums; Norman Whitfield period Temptations albums, yeah "All Directions" is good but I reckon "Masterpiece" is better; "The world is a Ghetto" & "Galaxy" by War; "Black Rock" by the Hi Rhythm Section.

Sly's entire back catalogue is ESSENTIAL to your ability to function as a Good and Decent Human Being.

All I ask is that we love each other more, and move our asses when we hear a funky beat.

early stuff is the best, especially if you're not that into p-funk: otis, sam and dave, al green, ann peebles, booker t & the mgs, buddy miles, bar-kays, joe tex, wilson pickett, rufus thomas, sugar-pie desanto, etta james, sweet inspirations, ike & tina, etc.

you can pretty much count on anything on hi or stax records to be good.

keb darge's "deep funk" series are good compilations of funky soul, with some forays into more disco stuff. the "new orleans funk" and "philly soul" comps on soul jazz records are great too.

90% of compilations advertising themselves as "northern soul" are to be avoided...

I luv "cheesy" crossover funk - Kool & the Gang, KC & the Sunshine Band, I break for any band with twenty or so people with big afros and leisure suits on the back cover, so funk you! Give me all the funk in all shapes, sizes, and fabrics - natural and synthetic.

P.S. at the library, we got this velvet-clad box set called the Funk Box that has lots of crossover funk as well as choice items from the funk "canon". 4 CDs. It has "I Get Lifted" on it - you must have "I Get Lifted" by George McCrae. Ohmigod. Also found on MVP Records _Vintage Funk_, volume two, which has other great stuff on it. I love funk compilations.

I have to admit that while I have a reasonable Sly collection I've never felt the need to go beyond that. It's good stuff, of course.

Let's see -- a good slew of Parliament/Funkadelic albums, a fine Jimmy Castor collection, the Mandrill and Ohio Players two-disc comps, what else do I have around here...

got quite a dew recommendations here, for tha good medic. i'll start off with Tyrone Thomas And The Whole Darn Family ~ Seven Minutes Of Funk. what it says really, instrumental, 7 mins long, bassline! been sampled plenty times, still rocks.

Whoooo! Thank-you good people! As expected lots of great info - keep it coming.

Here's another, doc: "Back in the day:The best of Bootsy"-Bootsy Collins

Aside from what others have mentioned, I'll contribute:

James Brown 'Love Power Peace: Live in Paris 71', the hottest JB album you'll find. They had a big French horn section (French people playing horns, not people playing French horns) join them so the sound is very beefed up.

Maceo Parker 'Life on Planet Groove', the other best live funk album of all-time (not vintage though). He's James Brown's alto player and a great singer as well. His album Mo' Roots is from the early 90s too, but aside from the release date it looks and sounds like it could be from the early 70s (in the best way possible).

You might also want to try Galactic, they get lumped in with the jam- band crowd but they're pretty much old-school funk...the drummer is genuinely talented and funky, and the singer is great.

For range and consistency I don't know of a better introduction to funk than The Funk Box (as mentioned above). Well worth 50 quid.

Dr. C - just noticed that Sly is the cover story on this month's Mojo, and it comes with a free funk cd.

Yeah, but the rest of it is taken up with a interview with 103-year old hitherto unknown bluesman, Blind Cyril Melonball.

Seriously, I bought it this month to see what they have to say about Sly and others.

Check out Dyke & the Blazers, a really raw, earthy late 60s contemporary of J.B. and Sly. Same style of tight funk grooves with horns, wild screams, grunts, etc. They did the original "Funky Broadway" (parts 1 & 2, of course). I've been looking for a good used compilation myself.

Hey now. let's not forget Stevie WOnder! And the Jackson 5 for that matter. ANd while you're at it, Moog Indigo by Jean Jaqcues Perrey

Re Hancock: if you want some stuff on the fringes of funk, you might also want to try everything from "Fat Albert Rotunda" (jazz-funk with lots of acoustic instruments, some electric) through "Sextant" (already mentioned). The first two Mwandishi albums, "Mwandishi" and "Crossings," are basically the same band as on "Sextant," only a bit more floaty, less drivenly funky. All three albums are on a 2-disc set now.

James Brown's Star Time box is the greatest album ever made. Everyone needs it. The period-overview stuff (Foundations of Funk 1964-1969, Funk Power 1970, Make It Funky: The Big Payback 1971-1975, Dead on the Heavy Funk 1975-1983) are all worth your time as well, not to mention the first two Funky People comps, the Bobby Byrd best-of, and Original Funky Divas.

The other greatest album ever made is Sly's There's a Riot Goin' On; along with Greatest Hits and Fresh you'll have an essential Sly library.

The Funk Box is a comp to worship and adore. But my vote goes to Rhino's Kurtis Blow Presents the History of Rap Vol. 1, which collects 11 breakbeat classics--"Apache," "Hum Along and Dance," "Dance to the Drummer's Beat," like that--and "King Tim III (Personality Jock)," the first-ever rap record.

I second the Kurtis Blow compilation -- taught me a thing or two. Josh Davis has put out some interesting funk compilations.

Don't forget afro-funk, either, although that may be out of scope here. Early Tony Allen, Fela & Africa 70.

i was pining for meters reissues a while back on the 'who should be reissued' thread. which albums are back in print?

requisite rap stuff: epmd are funky as hell. dj premier too. kurtis blow is a dud except 'if i ruled the world' and when krs stole his intro to 'the breaks' (but not the actual song itself). jay-z's 'change the game' is like, the future of funk, or something.

Ethan - gd to see you back. Think Meters reissues vary from country to country, but Rhino have certainly got their hands on some of 'em (including some rather dodgy post-Ziggy M recs).

I was listening to Sly's 'There's A Riot Going On' yesterday and I noticed it also contains my favourite misheard lyric. On 'Poet' Sly Stone has a look into the future and sings about a certain Mancunian band:

"I'm a Shaun Ryder/ A poet." :)

Other, slightly more random funk stuff worth checking:

The Bar Kays "Black Rock" album from '72, and some of their late 70s ish like "Holy Ghost" where they got all psychedelic with a nice bit of disco influence (but not too much)

The Fatback Band's "Master Booty" (again, nice disco influence)

The Mohawks "Champ", The Winstons "Amen Brother", Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache", Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio" and The JB's "The Grunt" are some of the classic funk breaks that have been used in a million and one hip-hop records...

also worth considering if you're after seventies funkiness are cymande. their first lp was the best, but both of the cd compilations have the good stuff on. i think their trumpet player later went on to play with aswad, but don't let that put you off.

"Wicki Wacky" by the Fatback Band - got it outside Ding Dong Lounge on Ally's gothday, it was one of the remainders of what used to be like 20 bins of records being given away for free, nobody had picked it up!!

* record plays for 5,000,000,000,000th time as i hit Submit *

Where can I get free Keb Darge Album titles in complete form